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Dear Friends of Riley's Farm:
Heirloom Apples: We know this from experience: heirloom apples are REALLY difficult to find. If you walk into a grocery store and ask for a Roxbury Russet or Red Astrachan, that SKU just doesn't exist. A few years ago, we asked a produce broker, during the off season, to find someone who actually shipped heirloom varieties, and he couldn’t find a soul. Our relatives, when they go to cider conventions and tell brewers we grow heirlooms, well, they find themselves to be the regular rock stars of Cider-Con. YOU, however, can enjoy old world apples this Saturday. Harvest Map and Schedule (PDF) Live music, archery, tomahawks, flower fields, long conversations under the shade of the poplar trees..
November, The Harvest Feast: It might just be me, but I believe a huge feast, live music, witty toasts, and a collective oath to rid ourselves of tyranny, all in an an 18th century tavern, well, it's just essential for good mental and spiritual health. I have asked Governor Newsom to sign a bill requiring all Californians to attend our tavern dinners, and it looks like he's on board with it. (Something about forcing people to do things appealed to him, I guess.) Fridays and Saturdays in November.
Emerald City: My pitch is beginning to take shape, but I found myself glued to the North Carolina flood stories this week. Having been through a few debris flows myself, I couldn't help aching for those poor people, even as I was inspired by the kind of heroes who immediately fire up their helicopters, load up their trucks with bottled water, drive their big dozers to the scene of the trouble without being asked. We all saw some epic, Christ-like compassion on display there, and it's a powerful reminder that it's usually the regular citizens (flight 93), who get the real work done in any crisis. FEMA was instituted not to replace volunteer help, but only to back it up -- never to direct or control it.
In the context of the Emerald City project, "skills education," both historic and contemporary, comes to mind. A lot of people want the training to build villages, heal the sick, and clear the roads. When it comes to rebuilding America, we can't depend on government. A lot of the time, it just gets in the way.
Christmas Events: Remember, we host TWO DIFFERENT Christmas Dinners, "Christmas in the Colonies" and "A Christmas Carol." The Friday and Saturday night events are selling out quickly, so we opened up Thursday nights as well. Get your tickets!
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